Futuristic materials and technology the sources of inspiration for a 3rd generation jewellery

Stefania Lucchetta, according to the leading magazine Wallpaper, is one of the “Top 20 reasons to be in Italy”. She is a talented young jewellery designer from Bassano del Grappa (Vicenza). Her works will be displayed at Bini Gallery in Melbourne, from 18th March to June 2016, in a solo show called “Jewels from the 21st Century”. Segmento caught up with the artist at the opening night for a brief chat.

Stefania, your work is so original in both form and material. What is your inspiration?

At the end of the 1990s, when I began my career, machinery and technology were my main source of inspiration. 3D Design and the so-called rapid prototyping allowed me to obtain more interesting and innovative shapes compared to classic jewellery. More recently, everyday life and above all, nature, has influenced my creative process. My inner self, including dreams, plays an important role too. My dissatisfactions are the incentive for making new pieces. Moreover, they tend to be different from traditional jewellery in style and materials.

In your work materials like resin, polyamide, titanium and stellite are preferred to common gold and silver, and the technologies you use are almost futuristic. Are your production choices random, or are they driven by specific ideas?

In my research nothing is fortuitous. Everything is driven by own intuitions. I have always been aware of my choices and I stick to them stubbornly, even if others around me, suppliers included, cannot understand my ideas or provide the right support to my work. It has been challenging but in the end satisfying, to overcome the boundaries around traditional jewellery making.

The same attention is given to materials. Because of the increase in allergies to metal, the ones I use are biocompatible, and that means hypoallergenic. Another benefit is that these materials being resistant and lightweight suit my needs more than gold. This allows me to make pieces that are both voluminous and wearable. Titanium and stellite are also incredibly beautiful.

Stefania, you’ve got a BA in Literature and Art History plus a Master Degree in Industrial Design. At the end of your studies in 1999 your father, a goldsmith, offered you a job as designer at the family company. You now represent the 3rdgeneration as a jeweller, after nonno Stefano first launched the family business in 1953. In terms of experience, how much have you inherited from your family?

Working with my father helped me to acquire, for the first time, a practical know-how about productive processes and market needs. One of my first tasks was related to the functioning of a laser ‘marcatrice’ through which I had created, in a short period of time, a series of jewels to exhibit in an upcoming fair. I really enjoyed using CAD-CAM software that helped me to understand the ability of machines to quickly and efficiently process and realise my own ideas. As a matter of fact, machines and computers are not a hindrance to a designer’s creativity, as I had the chance to discover in the late 90s, but a new way for the artist to express their desires and projects.

What else do you have to say about “Jewels from XXI Century”, the exhibition in Melbourne that you personally attended after making the 21 hour-long trip Down Under?

Melbourne is a very welcoming and trendy city. The audience at Bini Gallery seemed quite knowledgeable and really curious about my collection. That really rewarded me for the exhausting long trip, especially noticing that 10 year-old pieces are still considered innovative. In the end the whole experience has given me new incentives to go on in this path and the strength to overcome all the potential difficulties.

Graduated in Cultural Tourism with subsequent qualification to the practice of the Traveler, specialized in Communication to better understand the others, I am passionate about the daily life of modern society, which I like to write about without frills. I love reportages, contemporary narrative, and gardening. Almost restless like Chatwin, I used to hang from one place to another, until recently settling down in country Australia.